Lowe's plans to hire 65,000 workers this year

Home-improvement giant Lowe's said Friday it plans to hire more than 65,000 workers in 2019, most for seasonal jobs.

Later this month, the company will start posting more than 50,000 seasonal jobs to help customers with spring indoor and outdoor projects at certain locations, the retailer announced. It plans to add nearly 10,000 permanent merchandising personnel, as well as 6,000 full-time store managers and department supervisors.

Lowe's also plans to fill more than 2,000 technology positions, including software engineers, with the first 500 of those roles to be filled throughout 2019.

The retailer may find itself competing for workers. The federal government's latest employment report show exceptionally strong hiring in December along with a jump in wages, which is drawing unemployed workers off the sidelines. 

Under the direction of CEO Marvin Ellison, a veteran of Home Depot who joined Lowe's as part of a management shakeup in July, Lowe's in November said it would close 51 underperforming locations, including both of its stores in Manhattan. 

Lowe's operates more than 2,390 stores in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, employs more than 310,000 people and had fiscal 2017 sales of $68.6 billion.